Seatbelt devices for holding the occupant of a vehicle in his/her seat are provided with an emergency lock mechanism that is driven by a sensor that reacts to sudden acceleration, shocks or deceleration, so that, as a result, the emergency lock mechanism physically locks the drawing out of the webbing. The occupant can be thus effectively and safely restrained.
In order to enhance occupant protection, the latest seatbelt devices are provided with a pretensioner for removing webbing slack during an emergency, such as a vehicle collision. The modern seatbelt is a complex device. For all its complexity, and all it does, the modern seatbelt has some room for improvement. In particular, in the event a seatbelt does not unlatch and/or cannot be drawn-out, there is no easy way to remedy the situation other than to cut the seatbelt webbing, which in and of itself is not an easy task, by design.
Although the strong nature of each of the latch mechanism, the emergency locking mechanism, and the webbing itself combine effectively to protect a vehicle occupant during a crash, it creates a potentially dangerous situation afterwards, in that when either or both the latch and emergency lock mechanism fail to release, it can prevent medical personnel from having access to a victim or may prevent a victim from being able to leave or be removed from a vehicle in a timely manner. Accordingly, a quick, easy, and remote way to release the tension in a seatbelt is desirable. Once tension is released, the belt can be extended providing easier access to the vehicle occupant, whether driver or passenger.